Sealing means for use in grouting vertical seams in sea walls or the like



SEALING MEANS FOR USE IN GROUTING VERTICAL SEAMS IN SEA WALLS OR THELIKE April 29, I941. v. E. BRITTON Filed May 27, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet lII III -V. E. BRITTON April 9, 141..

SEALING MEANS FOR USE IN GROUTING VERTICAL SEAMS IN SEA WALLS OR THELIKE Filed May 27, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iiied Apr. 29, 1941 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SEALING MEANS FOR USE IN GROUTING VERTICAL SEAMS INSEA WALLS OR THE LIKE 8 Claims.

This invention has to do with the grouting of seams between thecomponental sections of such structures as submerged composite concretestructures, such as sea walls, breakwaters, dams, bridges, or the like,and relates particularly to means for sealing-off the grouting spacesbetween said sections for the purpose of cleaning those spaces prior togrouting, preventing the ingress of foreign matter, and confining thegrout to said spaces during the introduction and setting periods. E

While in the following description my invention will be described inconnection with the grouting of sea Walls, it is to be understood thatmy invention is equally applicable to other related structures such asmentioned above.

An economical and practical form of sea wall is one formed of precast,steel reinforced concrete sections in the form of slabs or piles or bothwhich are driven into place, one alongside another, and then grouted attheir adjacent edges, thus bonding the sections to form a continuousimpervious wall. In most instances, the grouting spaces are provided byrecesses or grooves formed in the adjacent edges of the wall sections.The proper grouting of these spaces ofiers a serious problem, however,due to the seepage of mud or other foreign matter into them, whichprevents, upon admixture with the grout, a proper bonding of the groutwith the concrete wall sections. Another problem arises from the factthat it is practically impossible to drive the wall sections into exactpredetermined positions relative to one another, the result being thatsome of the sections will be spaced apart. Under such circumstances,ordinary grouting methods may fail, or at least result in untidy seams.

My invention meets these problems by providing a means capable ofsealing-off the grouting spaces under such circumstances as may ocour inpractice.

The main objects of my invention are to provide a simple and eflicientmeans for sealing off the grouting spaces between such concrete sectionsin order that said spaces may be flushed to remove mud, silt or otherforeign matter, for preventing further ingress of such foreign matter tosaid spaces, and for confining the grout to said spaces for the durationof the setting period. Water may also be removed and prevented fromentering the grouting spaces, if desired.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a grouting space sealingmeans that may be easily operated, and may, with facility, be placedinto and removed from. opposition to said grouting spaces.

My invention contemplates the use of an expansible and contractiblesealing member used in conjunction with a rigid backing member adaptedto back up the sealing member and urge it into fluid tight engagementwith the structure sections at points adjacent the grouting space.

Other objects and features of the invention will be made apparent in thefollowing detailed description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 show in plan and elevation, respectively, a form of seaWall structure to which my sealing device is applicable;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the sea wall showing thegrouting-space sealing device applied thereto;

Fig. 4 is an horizontal section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertically contracted section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an horizontal section of another form of sea wall andillustrates two other adaptations of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section of one of the expansible membersshown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective of the lower portion of one of thebacking members shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 5, but showing a modifiedform of expansion means;

Fig. 10 is an horizontal section taken on line Ill-ll) of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective of the lower portion of analternative form of backing member.

While the sea wall sections may be cast in any of a great number ofshapes, I have shown as typical, in Figs. 1 and. 2, a sectional wall l0comprised of pre-cast, steel-reinforced, concrete slab piles ll havingedges ll tongued and grooved as indicated at l4 and I5 so as to provideinterengagement of the piles, one with another. The grooves I5 may beand are usually deeper than tongues l4 so that, when edges l2 areabutted, a grouting space will be formed at the base of the grooves.Grooves I5 may be further recessed as at 16 to enlarge the groutingspace.

The piles are driven into the earth to a depth suflicient to preventdisplacement or settling, and in many instances fluid mud will have tobe penetrated to reach such a depth. The upper ends of the piles may beanchored against displacement in the usual manner (not shown). The

lower ends of the piles may be bevelled as at I! so that each pile, asit is being driven, will be urged in the direction of the last drivenpile. Edges I2 do not always meet, however, andvery often they will bespaced as much or more than shown in Figs. 1 and 4, thus permitting freepassage of fluid mud into the grouting space.

My sealing device is capable of sealing off such grouting spaces, aswill appear in the following description, reference being had to Figs. 3to 5. The backing member indicated generally at is (in this instance) inthe form of a channel, the lower end of which is beveled at 2 I. Betweenthe flanges 22 of the channel, I provide an elongate expansible memberin the form of an inflatable rubber tube 23 closed at both ends andfastened to the web 24 of the channel by any suitable means such asbolts 25. Near the upper end of the tube I provide a nipple 26 forinflating or deflating the tube. With the tubes deflated, two

such sealing devices are driven down along opposite sides of the wall,directly opposite the space that is to be grouted, the lower beveledends 2| of the channels serving as entering wedges and forcing thechannels into engagement with the faces of the wall at opposite sides ofthe vertically extending opening between adjacent slabs. The channelsare driven through the fluid mud and to a lower depth sufflcient toanchor their lower ends against horizontal displacement and to place thelower ends of the tubes at or below the bottom of the fluid mud zone.The upper ends of the channels are then forced against the wall in anysuitable manner, as by clamping as indicated at 28. nipples 26, toinflate them and force them into fluid tight engagement with the facesof the wall sections adjacent the grouting spaces, the required airpressure depending upon the fluid head near the lower ends of the tubes.

Air is then pumped into the tubes, through The rubber tubes aresuiflciently flexible to make, under reasonable internal pressure,fluid-sealing engagement with the wall sections in spite of anyirregularities in the wall surfaces or intervening particles that mightotherwise prevent such engagement. At the same time the rubber is heavyenough that it will not be extended unduly into the opening that thetube seals.

The internal pressure in the tubes of course tends to force the channelsaway from the wall,

and the load thus put on the channels may in some instances be quitelarge, For the purpose of opposing deflection of the channels resultantfrom such forces, I provide the channels with trusswork 28 comprisingtension rods 29 and 30 U secured as by welding at 3| to the channels,and coupled by turnbuckles 33; and compression struts 34 and 35interposed between the tension rods and webs 24 of the channels. Thistrusswork may vary in design with different lengths of backing members,its purpose and effect being to stiffen the channels against bending.

In case a hard formation is encountered beneath a layer of earth or mudof insuflicient depth to firmly anchor the lower ends of the channels ofthe backing member, the back surfaces of the channels may be increasedby welding thereto a backing plate .31 as shown in Fig, 11. (For thepurpose of illustration, the expansion tube has been omitted in thisView.) This backing plate provides sufficient area contacting with theearth to hold the lower end of the channel against the wall.

After the grouting space 13 has been sealed in the above describedmanner, it is then possible to thoroughly flush mud or other foreignmatter from the grouting space and then to fill the space with grout andthus make a dependable bond between the wall sections. Flushing of thegrouting space may be accomplished by inserting a jet pipe from aboveand forcing water throu h it into the lower end of the space. Also, thegrouting space may be grouted by forcing grout through a pipe extendingto the bottom of said space and then withdrawing the pipe as the groutcolumn rises, displacing the water above it. Or, if desired, the watermay be pumped out of the grouting space before the grouting operation,so that the grouting would then be done in a dry space. The sealingdevices are removed, after the grout has set, by first deflating thetubes and then loosening and removing the channel structure. Theresulting seams are smooth and neat.

The form of wall shown in Fig. 6 includes columns of H-section (one halfof one of which is shown), driven at spaced intervals. Intervening slabsare dropped within the opposed recesses of two columns and driven intothe earth. There may be more than one such slab, one on top the other;and in such an arrangement the lower slab will be driven into the earthat its lower edge, and its upper edge may preferably be above the waterline. The column and slab 4| (both fragmentarily shown) form betweenthem reentrant corners 42 and 43 and grouting space 44; it being desiredto seal the grouting space at said corners.

I have shown at 45 (associated with corner 42) one adaptation of myinvention for sealing such corners comprising two channel backingmembers 46 which are disposed at right angles and joined by angle member41 and filler strip 49 welded or riveted thereto. Struts 48 and tensionrod 50 comprise the trusswork, similar to that shown in Fig. 3. Theexpansion tubes are indicated at 5| and 52. The lower ends of channels46 may be beveled like the channel shown in Fig. 3. A more detaileddescription of this form of sealing device is deemed unnecessary sinceit is substantially no more than a binary duplication of the form shownin Figs. 3 to 5 except for the singular feature that filler strip 49(which may be flat as shown, angular or curved) bounds the groutingspace in a manner to form a grout fillet of any desired configuration inits associated corner.

At 53 I have shown in association with reentrant corner 43 anotheradaptation of my invention for sealing such corners comprising a singleangle backing member 54, trussed by tension rods 55 and struts 5'6, andcontaining expansion tube 51, The lower end of angle 54 may be beveledas indicated at 58 (Fig. 8) to assist the driving of it into saidcorner. The tube 51 may be secured to one leg of angle 54, or it may bea separate unit as shown in Fig. 7. The expansion tube 51 there shown ismounted on rod 58 and is hermetically sealed at its ends by beingclamped against shoulders 59 by nuts 50 and washer 6|, the usual valvenipple being provided at 51a. The ends of rod 58 extend beyond the endsof the tube and the lower end is pointed at 62 so that it may (with tubedeflated) be driven down within the space defined by angle 54 and thewall sections to the required depth. The advantage of having theexpansion tube as a separate unit, in this manner, lies in itsplaceability relative to its backing member irrespective of the depth towhich said backing member is driven.

It is to be understood that the separate expansion tube unit justdescribed is not limited to this specific adaptation but may be utilizedto advantage in any of the the other forms of sealing device hereindescribed.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a modified form of sealing means wherein theexpansion means comprises wedges I and H confined within a channel 12which is similar to channels 2'0 in Figs., ,3-5. After the channel 12 isdriven and secured in place against the wall, a strip of resilientmaterial 13 is placed against and overlapping the wall sections, andWedges and H are then forced down between the channel and strip 13 thusurging the strip into fluid tight engagement with said wall sections. Ifdesired, the wedges may be removed by tongs or other suitable means (notshown) prior to removal of the channel. In place of a separate resilientstrip 13, the wedges 10 may be provided with resilient faces, as Willbeunderstood without further illustration; that is, the resilient oryielding strip may either be a separate piece or may be secured to thewedges. In Fig. 9 I have shown several sets of said wedges Ill and H,the number of such sets depending on the practicable length of eachwedge set and the total length of the opening which is to be sealed.

I claim:

1. In a system for grouting the seams intervening componental sectionsof a sea wall or the like, a rigid backing member adapted to be securedagainst the wall in opposing relation to, a seam, and a hollow sealingmember expansible by applied internal pressure between the backingmember and the Wall and adapted by expansion to seal the seam at thewall face.

2. In a system for grouting the seams intervening componental sectionsof a sea wall or the like, an elongate rigid backing member havinglateral flanges adapted to be secured in contact with the wall face atopposite sides of a seam, and an expansible sealing member within theflanged backing member and adapted by expansion to engage the wall faceat opposite sides of the seam and seal the seam.

3. In a system for grouting the seams intervening componental sectionsof a sea Wall or the like, an elongate rigid backing member havinglateral flanges adapted to be secured in contact with the wall face atopposite sides of a seam, and an inflatable flexible walled tube withinthe flanged backing member and adapted by inflation to sealingly engagethe wall face at opposite sides of the seam.

4. In a system for grouting vertically extending seams interveningcomponental sections of a sea wall or the like, a rigid backing memberadapted at its lower end to be driven into the earth at the foot of andagainst the wall, means for holding the upper end of the backing memberagainst the wall, and a hollow sealing member expansible by appliedinternal pressure between the backing member and the wall and adapted byexpansion to seal a seam at the wall face.

5. In a system for grouting vertically extending seams interveningcomponental sections of a sea wall or the like, a rigid backing memberadapted at its lower end to be driven into the earth at the footof andagainst the wall, said ldwer'end having a beveled surface at its sideopposite the wall, said beveled surface acting by reason of earthpressure to force and hold said lower end against the wall, means forholding the upper end of the backing member against the wall, and anexpansible sealing member between the backing member and the wall andadapted by expansion to seal a seam at the wall face.

6. In a system for grouting vertically extending seams interveningcomponental sections of a sea wall or the like, a vertically elongateand rigid backing member having lateral longitudinally extending flangeswhich are adapted to contact the wall face at their edges, the lower endof the backing member having a beveled surface at the side opposite thewall, said beveled surface acting by reason of earth pressure to forceand hold the lower end of said member in contact with the wall face whenthe lower end is driven into the earth at the foot of the wall, meansfor holding the upper end of the backing member against the wall, and anexpansible sealing member between the backing member and the wall andadapted by expansion to seal a seam at the wall face.

7. In a system for grouting vertically extending seams interveningcomponental sections of a sea wall or the like, a vertically elongateand rigid backing member having lateral longitudinally extending flangeswhich are adapted to contact the wall face at their edges, the lower endof the backing member having a beveled surface at the side opposite thewall, said beveled surface acting by reason of earth pressure to forceand hold the lower end of said member in contact with the wall face whenthe lower end is driven into the earth at the foot of the wall, meansfor holding the upper end of the backing member against the wall, and aninflatable flexible walled tube within the flanged backing member andadapted by inflation to sealingly engage the wall face at opposite sidesof a seam.

8. In a system for grouting the seams intervening componental sectionsof a sea wall or the like, in combination with a flanged backing member,a sealing member insertible Within the backing member and between it andthe wall, said sealing member comprising a longitudinal rod and aninflatable flexible walled tube surrounding the rod and attached at itsends to the rod.

VERNER E. BRITTON.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

" April 129, 19in.

Patent No. 2, 259,989-

VERNER E BRI TTON It is hereby certified that 7 error appears in theprinted specification if the above numbered patent requiring correctionas follows; Page 5, first and that the said column, line 1+6, claim 5,for "beacking" read -backing-, Lettere Patent should be read correctiontherein that the same may conform to the record of t Signed and .sealedthis 8thd-sy of July,

with this he case in the Patent Office.

A. D. 19m

Henry Van Arsdale Acting Commissioner of Patents.

(Seal)

